The Slayer (Untamed Hearts #2)(157)

She gave him a watery smile. “I love you too.”





Epilogue


Garnet County


Their honeymoon wasn’t long enough.

Just one week at the beach, which made Alaine more pink than tan, because she enjoyed the novelty of the ocean a little too much.

She was very freckled and rosy by the time she, Chuito, Tino, and Nova were forced to say good-bye to Chuito’s family because they had decided that they needed to go back to Garnet. One small side trip, alone and free of the mafia entourage, before life got crazy again.

Jules had a fit when she found out they’d gotten married, especially after seeing all the pictures that had been posted to social media of Chuito and Alaine arriving at the hotel.

Eloping was a decent excuse for the mad dash to Miami. The wedding had provided an alibi for everything else.

But they all knew no one in Garnet believed it.

So the big party Jules threw at the Cellar had banners that said congratulations, but everyone there knew it was really a good-bye party…for all of them.

And no one was doing a good job at pretending.

“I don’t understand,” Jules sobbed in the ladies’ room as she leaned against the sink and put her face in her hands. “Can you tell me? I know they won’t, but I need to know why we’re losing all of you.”

“We just want to see the world a little,” Alaine lied as she felt tears sting her eyes too. “I’ve never been to New York and—”

“Oh my God,” Jules cut her off with another sob. “Just don’t. If you can’t tell me why my babies are losing Tino, and I’m losing one of my best friends, and the Cellar is losing Chuito, then I don’t want to hear the bullshit.”

“I’m sorry,” Alaine whispered as she wiped at her cheeks. “It’s not forever.”

“The twins asked for Tino every day that he was gone.” Jules shook her head and looked to the door. “I don’t understand why Tino has to go. I don’t understand why you have to go either. Can’t Chuito leave you here if he has to—”

“I don’t want him to leave me here,” Alaine cut her off. “Would you want Romeo to leave you behind?” That really ripped Jules up. She just started sobbing, and all Alaine could do was hug her and say, “I love you.”

“No,” Jules snapped at her. “You’re leaving. What am I going to do with the office? You’re abandoning me.”

“Don’t. Please.” Alaine didn’t let her go; she just hugged her tighter because she knew Jules was angry and grasping at straws. “We need to make this day good. Somehow, Jules, try and make this day good.”

“Romeo’s not even speaking to Nova,” Jules choked out. “They got into a horrible fight last night when y’all got back. It was bad. Really bad. It’s like Nova’s taking his other child from him. We got Tino out, and now—”

“Hey.” Alaine pulled away from Jules and squeezed her shoulders. “You do know that Tino can take care of himself, don’t you? And it’s not Nova making him go. It’s the other way around. He didn’t really give Nova a choice in the matter. I know because I listened to them argue about it at every pit stop between Miami and Garnet. We finally had to separate them and take Tino in the GL with us.”

Jules shook her head. “No, he doesn’t belong in that life. He’s like my baby too and—”

Alaine couldn’t help it; she laughed. “Jules, Tino does just fine. He’s—” She shrugged, not knowing how else to put it. “He’s actually a lot more than any of you give him credit for. He lets you baby him so you won’t see that he’s the very last man in the world who needs to be protected. He’s been protecting you instead. Honor it. Let him do what he feels like he needs to do.”

Jules took a shuddering breath and asked, “What if he doesn’t come back? What if none of you come back?”

Alaine wanted to promise her that they would, but instead she just repeated, “Make this day good, Jules.”

Jules let out a horrible wail of agony and stood there shaking and crying because her family was being ripped apart, and she couldn’t even know the reason why.

Alaine was really glad she’d had the party in Miami, because if this had been her real wedding party, it would be horrible. People there knew how to live in the moment. They enjoyed the good times, because they didn’t know when it was all going to fall apart.

Jules didn’t understand.

No one here did.

“You’re gonna clean up,” Alaine said as she grabbed paper towels and handed them to Jules. “Then we’re going out there, and you are going to treat Tino like a brother you trust will come back and know he will bring Nova back with him. He is not your baby. He is a man who will do everything he can to come back to those twins. That, I will promise you.”

“How can I know that?” Jules wiped at her face with a paper towel. “I have no way of knowing.”

“’Cause I am telling you,” Alaine assured her, because Chuito had eventually told her the details of what happened in the house while she was upstairs. “I have seen him in action, Jules, and he is awe-inspiring.”

Jules paused at that and lowered her hand, looking to Alaine with tear-filled eyes. “Can we fix this? Can Wyatt fix it?”